Good news brewing for coffee lovers

'Would you like another cup of coffee?" the waiter asks. Most likely you'll have another one. Then wonder how many is too much. Here's what you should know about that extra cup or two:

Coffee is the most commonly used drug in the world. Although a cup can be stimulating in the morning and relaxing after dinner, too much has a downside. Caffeine is addictive. Its withdrawal can cause anxiety, sleeplessness, headache and increased irritability. Good sense and moderation can solve these problems.

Whether you're a moderate or heavy consumer of coffee are there any serious long-term health hazards?

NO EVIDENCE

Researchers reviewed several European studies in the 1990s. There was a suspicion that caffeine might be related to bladder malignancies. But to date, no evidence links coffee to this problem.

Several years ago researchers at The Harvard School of Public Health reported an association between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer.

But in 2001 there is still no strong evidence that either pancreatic or other digestive cancers are related to the morning cup of coffee.

Do editors face increased risk of cardiovascular problems when they reach for another cup of coffee as deadline approaches?

The Finns are heavy coffee drinkers, averaging six cups a day. For 10 years the habits of 20,000 Finns were studied. Researchers concluded that, in general, coffee and non-coffee drinkers shared the same risk of coronary attack or dying from heart disease.

The only exception were men who consumed large amounts of coffee. But it's hard to lay the whole blame on coffee. These men were also heavy smokers, which increases blood cholesterol and the risk of coronary attack.

Another Finnish study associated coffee drinking to rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers followed 19,000 men and women from 1975 to 1990. They discovered that those who consumed more than four cups of coffee daily had twice the risk of developing this disease.

Doctors wondered if it's the way Finns brew their coffee. North Americans generally use paper filters. The Finns boil their coffee without filtering out the grounds. Possibly some substance in the unfiltered drink may play a role in developing rheumatoid arthritis.

A report from The University of Hawaii suggests that coffee and caffeine may have a protective effect against Parkinson's Disease. Researchers studied the dietary habits of 8,000 Japanese-American males during the 1960s and '70s.

Those who drank the most cups of coffee a day (three cups) appeared to have a decreased risk of Parkinson's than non-drinkers. Scientists wondered if caffeine could in some way fight nerve degeneration or exhibit a positive effect on nerve transmission.

Several years ago The British Medical Journal Lancet published a study linking coffee consumption to female infertility. They wondered whether too much coffee increased the risk of miscarriage.

A new Swedish study of 1,500 women suggests it might be wise for pregnant coffee drinkers to cut back their consumption. It revealed that one to three cups of coffee may increase the risk of miscarriage by 30%. That three to five cups worth of caffeine increased the risk by 40%. And after five cups the rate escalated to an amazing 120%.

SEEMS PRUDENT

Several experts I talked to doubt these figures. But right or wrong it seems prudent to be careful when asking for that extra cup if you're pregnant.

Let's end with good news. A report from San Francisco says that caffeine fights migraine headaches. A dose of 500 mg of Aspirin, 500 mg of acetaminophen along with 130 mg of caffeine helps to ease incapacitating migraine attacks.

My advice? I've little doubt that smoking, obesity and lack of exercise have a more pronounced effect on our health than the use of coffee. So enjoy moderately.